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In the 1960s, a brilliant cartoon dog named Mr. Peabody invented a wayback machine so he and his friend Sherman could go back in time and examine historical events.

If that device were in use today, it might go back to September 1966 when "The Monkees" television series debuted.

A smallish crowd at Red Butte Garden in Salt Lake City went to the wayback machine Thursday night, turning the clock back 50 years, for a nostalgic journey with two of the original Monkees.

Original group member Davy Jones died in 2012 and Michael Nesmith isn't touring. That left 71-year-old Micky Dolenz and 74-year-old Peter Tork to carry the torch with a concert that lasted over two hours and featured more than 30 tunes spanning the career of an iconic band.

With a video board displaying historic footage from the television show and a five-piece backing band, Tork and Dolenz retraced a 50-year career in a concert that showed some of their hits have retained timeless charm while others have not held up quite as well.

The show would have been more enjoyable had some members of the audience been a little more receptive. From my vantage point, people seemed more interested in trying to hold a loud conversation over the band's music rather than actually listening. That's an annoyance that happens too often at concerts these days.

There were some funny moments. Tork joked that early in their career, The Monkees were accused of not playing their instruments. Tork, who played the banjo, guitar and keyboard in the show, joked he wasn't playing his own instruments this time, either. He said he didn't own them. They were rented.

There were a few poignant moments. Using the video screen to play footage of Jones singing the ballad "Shades of Gray" brought an emotional response.

And Jones returned on the screen again late in the show for "Daydream Believer," where the audience, some joyfully dancing near the front of the stage, sang along.

There was also something new. The song "She Makes Me Laugh" written by Weezer's Rivers Cuomo from The Monkees' new album "Good Times," was definitely enjoyable.

The crowd included a surprising number of youngsters, who seemed to enjoy classics such as "The Last Train to Clarksville," "Steppin' Stone," "Words," "PIeasant Valley Sunday" and, of course, "I'm a Believer."

The concert had a few ups and downs, but Tork and Dolenz sounded good. On a perfect June night, Red Butte Garden was not a bad place to take a ride on the Wayback Machine.

wharton@sltrib.com

Twitter @tribtomwharton